In the late seventies, Firefighters in England went on strike. Thus, the British army was required to take over emergency fire fighting. One day, a squad of soldiers received a call from an elderly woman in London to come and rescue her cat, Bittsy. Poor Bittsy had gotten stuck in a tree.
They arrived quickly and without much trouble saved Bittsy from her high perch. As they were getting ready to leave, the woman invited her heroes in for a victory spot of tea. Very British of her. After the tea break, and many fond farewells and waving of hands, the soldiers hopped on the fire truck. But, as they drove away, they ran over sweet little Bittsy and killed her.
That’s embarrassing. But, we can all relate. We all have those moments when we fail. Despite our best efforts, things come crashing down on us. We’re left holding the bag, or in this instance, the dead cat.
-professionally. Remember the days when you were the young hot-shot, and now you just seem to keep on playing catch-up? Why doesn’t your boss seem to like you? Why do the words “performance review” sound about as much fun as the word colonoscopy?
-as children. How long will it take before Mom or Dad will ever be happy with you? It’s sad, but, I pray with people in their 40s and their 50s who are still trying to win their parents’ approval. Someone calls this having a “parental hangover.’
-as parents. What parent here hasn’t at some point felt like they have blown it? They don’t exactly give us instruction manuals, do they? I have tried my best, but I know I’m no Ward Cleaver, Jim Anderson, Andy Taylor, or Homer Simpson. Wait, skip Homer Simpson. One of my friends says, “Guilt is the gift that keeps on giving…” Isn’t that true for a parent? Any difficulties my disabled son has weighed heavily on my shoulders.
-as friends. When hasn’t each one of us let a friend down?
What are the kinds of things are you carrying today?
If you have ever blown it, failed in any way, you are not alone. (Comforting thought) The Bible is full of people who have, at times, made a mess out of their lives. But, these people have seen their lives reconstructed by God for His purposes and for His glory. One thing you learn from reading the story of God’s people in the Bible is- Don’t judge a person’s life on a terrible stage of trouble. The whole story of their life hadn’t been written yet. Is it fair to judge St. Peter solely on his denial of ever knowing Jesus on Maundy Thursday night? Heaven’s no! He went on to becoming one of the key leaders of the Church. Would it be fair to condemn Paul on his attacks upon the early Christians? NO, he spent the next forty years spreading the Gospel throughout the Roman world. How often we are to judge and sentence a person on one mistake. But, the rest of their story hasn’t been written yet. As someone said, “Forgive me, God isn’t finished with me yet.” We are all works in process.
Don’t judge your whole life by a time of failure. God isn’t finished with you yet. Who knows how God will use a moment of failure for His glory?
Let’s take an object lesson on dealing with failure from the life of Moses. Moses was a big, capital “F” failure. As we heard last week, Moses had left Egypt a failure and a disgrace. While still a Prince of Egypt, he had witnessed an Egyptian beating a Jew. Moses had, as we would say today, anger issues. He murdered the Egyptian, put him in a car, and dumped both in the Nile. No one saw him. It was the perfect crime, so he thought. But, the next day, Moses came upon two Jews having a major disagreement. Trying to play “high and mighty Moses” he tried to break it up. One of the men stared him down and said, “what are you going to do, Moses, kill one of us.” Can you imagine the kick to the gut that was? Moses had thought he had gotten away with it. But he hadn’t. Before the CSI people could nab him, he fled, skedaddling to the desert of Midian. He got a job as a sheepherder and married the boss’ daughter. Imagine working at your father-in-law’s car garage- that’s what it was like. Whoever coined the phrase “How the mighty have fallen”- might have been thinking of Moses.
Driving around in a Mercedes engineered chariot, to handling sheep. Working for his wife’s dad, maybe he was a bit hen-pecked, too, by his wife. I heard the story of a man who was the head of an office. He had a hard time keeping charge of his employees. So, he went out and got himself a sign. He put it on his door. “I am the boss.” He went out to lunch. When he returned, he noticed someone had stuck a note to the sign. It read “Your wife wants the sign back…’ We sing the hymn “Go Down, Moses. Go Down, Moses.” Brother, Moses was so down he didn’t know how to get up.
We all have at times felt like Moses. “Go down, Judy. Go down, Judy….” “Go down, Bill… Go down Sally…”(singing)
We can learn from Moses as to how a lifetime of failure can be turned into something beautiful. After forty years of sheep tending, Moses is out with his beloved hair balls one day. He comes upon a bush on fire- burning, yet not consumed. He encounters God’s presence there. What is the first thing that Moses discovers about God? Moses discovers that God is Holy. “Take off your shoes for this is a holy place.” It is a holy place because God is holy. This is the most important quality of God. In one survey, people were asked to list God’s qualities in order of importance. Where did they start? First with love, then wisdom, power, mercy, and, finally, truth. At the bottom of the list was holiness. Yet, if you surveyed the Bible, you would discover that of all of God’s qualities, Holiness gets mentioned the most. 900 times in fact. As James Boice put it, “The Bible does not refer to God as Loving, Loving, Loving! Or Wise, Wise, Wise! Or Merciful, Merciful, Merciful. But, again and again, we hear and the angels sing that God is “Holy, Holy, Holy.” A little word about Hebrew poetry: To emphasize something, the Hebrew writers didn’t use words like “very” or “extremely.” They would repeat the word to emphasize the point. Sarah wasn’t very pretty, but pretty, pretty, pretty. To say God is “holy, holy, holy” is to say God is ‘really, really, really Holy.” Remember that when we sing the Sanctus- it is the highest form of worship. We imitate the angels when we sing it.
What really does “Holy” mean? Realize, first, that we have lost all meaning of the holy in our society. “Holy” means musty old church buildings, monks singing Gregorian Chants, Renaissance paintings of saints with haloes on their heads. Holy can mean “puritanical” when we call a sanctimonious former friend a “Holy Joe.” But, to be holy is to be complete, wholesome, healthy, perfect, pure. God is light- there is no variance to His Light. To call God Holy means God is beautiful. God is lovable.
Because God is holy He wants to make us holy. We are to be a holy people. In the New Testament, Christians living on earth, people like you and me, NOT St. Gertrude floating among the clouds playing the harp, are called saints. You are the saints. Saint comes from the Greek word “hagios” which means “holy one.” We become holy because God makes us Holy. But, when we first encounter the holiness of God, we feel inadequate, dirty, sinful. When Peter realized Jesus was indeed the Son of God, he fell to his knees and cried, “Lord, keep away from me, for I am a sinful man.” He was in the presence of the Holy.
Moses has that kind of reaction. God has a job for Moses. “You will go to Egypt and rescue My children.” His reaction is, “Who am I? I’m a nobody.” Isn’t that our reaction, too? Whenever I ask a person to serve as a chalice-bearer, their first reaction is “Who me? I’m not worthy.” Who is? I would be concerned if a person didn’t feel that way!
Yet, it is in this emotional state where we can truly encounter God. Jesus said, “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.’ It is only when we are poor in spirit that we are willing to give up control of our lives and turn to Christ. Here is an example of what I mean. During one summer while I was in seminary, I worked as a chaplain at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, MD. I discovered while I was there that there were one group of people who were really open to prayer and to hearing about the need for Christ in their lives. Who were they? Men in the cardiac units. Many of these fellows were professional business men who were used to operating out of their strength. They ignored their physical limits, many had been ignoring their families, and most had had no time for God. But, now, they were in a place of weakness. They could no longer control things. These guys were stuck in a hospital bed, helpless. They were finally realizing that they needed someone Bigger than them in their lives. Even though I was only 29 at the time, my appearance in their hospital room was like the appearance of a water carrier to a person in Death Valley. They had gone from thinking they were invulnerable, to realizing they were very vulnerable indeed. Indeed, there are no atheists in foxholes. It was very rewarding indeed to be able to talk with them, and pray with them, and lead many of them to the God who has the right to be the Ruler of our souls.
This is what happens with Moses. He has a heart transplant, in the truest sense. Moses’ first approach had been independent approach. Everything was done under his own authority, his own understanding, and his own power. He was going to be the savior of his people. He really makes a muck of things- killing an Egyptian in the process. Now, we find a humble man. He has had a changed heart. He is now teachable, and God can use a person like that.
He doesn’t need to be the Savior, God will do that. There is a world of difference between the two approaches. The first approach ended in frustration. This new approach will set people free, from slavery to the Promised Land.
If we are honest with ourselves, whenever we fail, it is most likely we have taken the independent approach too. We are doing things under our own power and our own understanding. In fact, one biblical definition of sin is “to go your own way.” Only in humility, confessing our sins to God, to we find new life and new direction.
Carl Jung told of a man who asked a rabbi, “How come in olden days God would show Himself to people but today nobody ever sees God?” The rabbi said, “Because nowadays nobody can bow low enough.” If God seems distant to you, you may want to ask- who moved? I always liked the story told about the great preacher Charles Spurgeon. Charles was raised on a farm. When he was a young teen, he was behind the family barn on day sneaking a cigarette. His dad surprised him, by coming up upon him
Charles attempted to diffuse the situation by using an approach all youth use when dealing with adults- misdirection. Charles said to his fuming father, “Pops, the circus is in town. Do ya think we can go?”
His father, with a look like he had a rabbit is in his gun sight, said, “Son, don’t ask your old man for something with a smoldering disobedience in your hand.” If you want to go to the circus, drop the smoldering disobedience. If you want to see God, confess your sins, be humble before God.
God gave Solomon this word in 2 Chronicles “If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Moses lived this out. He was able to heal his land. When we go to the Confession, take it seriously, and truly be humble before God.
Paul tells us “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus is dying for you the moment you fail. When you sin, He is at the cross dying for that sin. There is nothing too big to forgive. It is a time to take your failures and sins and bring them to the cross of Christ. You will discover the wonderful love that God has for you.
